H12⎮TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
ON ON2 V2
SPECIAL REPORT ON INDUSTRY INNOVATORS
Achieving great new heights
TRACY HANES
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Canderel has been on the leading
edge in creating some of Toronto’s
hottest neighbourhoods and raising the bar for condo design.
They have raised the bar quite
high: Aura at College Park, being
built at Yonge St. and Gerrard St.
W., will hold the title of tallest residential skyscraper in Canada, soaring to 78 storeys once it’s finished
in 2014. Aura will also boast Canada’s biggest penthouse, priced at
$18.3 million, with 11,370 square
feet of living space and unimpeded
views of the city.
The fully integrated real estate
corporation, founded in 1975 with
headquarters in Montreal, operates under the leadership of chairman Jonathan Wener.
Canderel has acquired, developed, managed or co-ventured
more than 13 million square feet of
property, including commercial,
industrial and residential projects,
and has created or has under construction more than 4,000 condo
suites in the GTA.
Canderel’s philosophy is that a
project has to be well-located and
constructed to provide the tenants
or residents with a lifestyle they
enjoy, to the extent they will want
to move to another Canderel project.
The company was a pioneer in the
transformation of West King West,
from derelict industrial area to the
vibrant, fast-growing neighbourhood it is today.
The company acquired the heritage 1883 building that had housed
the Massey Harris tractor factory
and created one of Toronto’s first
authentic loft conversions in 2003,
an innovative concept at the time.
The original facade of the Georgian-style red brick building was
meticulously restored and 46 stylish lofts constructed, with features
such as exposed brick walls, timber
columns and oversized windows.
DNA (Downtown’s Next Address) further established Canderel’s brand in the neighbourhood.
The project, geared to first-time
buyers and completed in 2005, offered distinctive architecture, providing high-quality finishes as
standard (granite countertops, 9foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances and gas cooktops) that other
builders were offering as upgrades,
and open-concept layouts.
Canderel Residential’s sales and
marketing vice-president, Riz
Dhanji, created an innovative marketing campaign that included
wrapping two Hummers in DNA
colours and hiring young people to
hand out “Rave Card” invitations
to the sales centre. The centre was
used as an event space for fashion
shows, a Toronto Indy party and
several musical performances,
which further built DNA’s profile.
The building was a hit with young
professionals and so were the follow-up projects, DNA2 and DNA3,
which included retail space at
grade and a host of amenities.
For DNA3 — on the site of a former Chrysler dealership at King St.
W. and Shaw St. — Canderel gathered feedback from existing buyers
and included them in the plans.
(All of the DNA buildings have sold
out.)
“We were trying to create something different,” Dhanji says. “We
wanted a unique condo brand and
lifestyle associated with the building.”
Canderel had demonstrated its
skill with areas in transition when
it built Newport Beach townhouses and condominiums, the first
towers on what had been a seedy
motel strip along the Etobicoke
lakeshore, now a desirable waterfront residential neighbourhood.
For, the Waterford, at 2101 Lake
Canderel building the country’s tallest residential
skyscraper in the heart of downtown Toronto
STAR CONTEST
In 1977, the first New in Homes
section appeared in the Toronto
Star.
Back then, most new homes were
detached and built in the suburbs;
today, condos have overtaken new
home sales, both in the city and the
905 regions, according to a report
by RealNet Canada.
Here at the Star, we’re celebrating
a special anniversary of 35 Years of
New in Homes with special new
features, including a contest.
The Building Industry and Land
Development Association (BILD) is
offering a hefty $35,000 toward the
purchase of a new home or renovation to help us celebrate. All you
have to do to enter is go to
thestar.com/contests and tell us
what a new home or renovation
means to you.
You can also read all the profiles of
our Industry Innovators at
thestar.com/specialsections/newinhomes35years
Gale Beeby, Real Estate Editor
work,” will have 985 units and four
storeys of retail. Dhanji says only a
handful of suites remain in Aura
and the 11,370-square-foot penthouse is still up for grabs. The grandiose oval-shaped suite features
five bedrooms and six bathrooms
and has views in every direction.
CANDEREL TEAMS UP
WITH THE HABS
KEITH BEATY/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
Riz Dhanji, the sales and marketing manager for Canderel, has come up with innovative ways to sell condos.
Canderel chairman Jonathan Wener
“(The Tour Des Canadiens) is
something Montreal hasn’t
seen before and will push
the envelope of design in
Montreal. People will be
blown away by the
amenities package. This is
something really unique.”
RIZ DHANJI
CANDEREL VICE-PRESIDENT OF
RESIDENTIAL SALES AND MARKETING
Tour Des Canadiens will adjoin the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal
Canadiens. It will be Montreal’s tallest residential building.
Shore Blvd. W., Canderel modelled
the 10-storey building after some of
the world’s finest hotels, adding
luxurious hotel-like finishes and
fine architectural details, and
floor-to-ceiling windows that provided commanding waterfront and
city views.
Directly behind it, the Waterford
Towers offered smaller, yet still
luxurious suites.
Canderel has also been instrumental in the revitalization of
downtown, with the Residences of
College Park on Bay St., which is
just to the west of the landmark Art
Deco College Park, designed by the
same architectural firm that designed the Royal York Hotel and
Maple Leaf Gardens.
The original heritage building,
with a limestone and granite fa-
cade, houses 180,000 square feet of
upscale retail space and offers a
direct link to Aura.
The Residences of College Park
includes two towers, a retail podium and townhouses overlooking a
three-acre park and Aura will be
the third and final tower (not to
mention the tallest).
Aura, at Yonge and Gerrard, is described as Canderel’s “master
Earlier this week, Canderel announced it is partnering with Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd., FTQ and
the Montreal Canadiens to build a
new condominium — Tour Des Canadiens — adjoining the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens. It represents a concept
where sports and entertainment
become an integral part of everyday life.
The 48-storey, 534-suite building
will be designed by architects Cardinal Hardy and Martin Marcotte/
Beinhaker and be located at the
corner of rue de la Montagne and
l’Avenue des Canadiens. It will be
Montreal’s tallest residential
building.
“We just do big things,” says
Dhanji. “Like the saying, ‘go big or
go home.’ ”
The Montreal building will straddle a natural ridge between the river and the mountain, sitting on an
elevated platform that includes indoor parking and where a lightbox
featuring Montreal and its lifestyle
will be encased.
It will be the only residential condo in the city to provide direct covered access to the city’s intermodal
transit hub and the underground
path system. The single tower will
also include a deluxe sports bar.
“Because it’s tied into the Montreal Canadiens brand, there will
be various incentives offered to
condo owners that no one else can
have,” says Dhanji. “They will become members of an exclusive club
as an owner as part of the Habs’
plan.”
“It’s something Montreal hasn’t
seen before and will push the envelope of design in Montreal,” says
Dhanji. “People will be blown away
by the amenities package. This is
something really unique.”
Suites will start at about $250,000
and with the residential units
starting on the 15th floor, all will
offer great views.
The sales centre will open in the
fall. To register, go to tourdescanadiens.com.
á To find out more about DNA3,
visit dnacondos.com; to see more
about Aura, go to collegepark
condos.com.
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